Indians Prospect Insider

The Cleveland Indians needed someone to step up big time on Tuesday night, and thankfully Ubaldo Jimenez did just that. The big right-hander allowed no runs across six innings of work to lead the Indians to a 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Join the IBI's Jim Berdysz as he provides all the details and play-by-play from the crucial Tribe win.

Three months ago, Kyle Crockett was treading the ball field at the University of Virginia. He was a junior ending his collegiate career with hopes of playing professional baseball. He’d spent the past three years converting holds and saves and on June 7, he converted his dream into a reality. Fast-forward to today, and he's already on the Major League doorstep and considered an option for the Indians in the bullpen in the very near future.

On the surface, calling a 68-73 season a success -- especially when that season follows a championship campaign -- would be ludicrous. In the case of the 2013 Akron Aeros, however, it would be true. While last year brought Akron an Eastern League championship, 2013 saw the arrival of numerous top prospects and brought the future one step closer to Cleveland. If you made it out to Canal Park this year, you saw the future of Cleveland. To recap that future and everything that happened in 2013, join Jim Piascik for one last time and go Launching off with the Aeros.

After salvaging the final game of what was still a brutal road trip, the Indians returned home to kick off yet another crucial series. The mild buzz from finally beating the Tigers and returning home with their best starter on the mound was quickly blown, however, as Justin Masterson left the game abruptly. As a result, the bullpen was put in a tough spot, while the offense sleepwalked through another game and the Indians lost 7-2.

The minor league season officially came to an end for four of the Indians affiliates on Monday as Triple-A Columbus, Double-A Akron, High-A Carolina and Low-A Lake County all wrapped up their season's with some big performances from their players. The IBI's Michael Hattery recaps the action in the final full edition of Around the Farm for the 2013 season...

On a holiday dedicated to the working world, the Indians themselves took a day off on the field. The struggling Tribe offense was at it again Monday, scoring just two runs to drop the first of a three-game series with the Orioles, 7-2. The heart of Tribe fans also skipped a beat when ace Justin Masterson left the ballgame in the second inning due to soreness in his left rib cage. Join IBI Indians beat reporter Jim Berdysz as he recaps another frustrating loss on Labor Day.

The Cleveland Indians just endured a very difficult week as the team went 1-5 to fall to 7.5 games back in the American League Central Division. Despite the poor performance, the Indians remain very much alive in the AL Wild Card race as the team is just 3.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays. Could this be the week that the Tribe begins its playoff push? Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he looks back at the week that was in his weekly Indians notebook, Notes From the Wigwam.

Much needed? You could say that again. For more than a week now, the Tribe had been looking for that one big hit from the struggling Cleveland offense. Deadlocked in a scoreless tie in the ninth inning Sunday, they finally got that hit with one swing of the bat from third baseman Mike Aviles. Join IBI's Jim Berdysz as he shares his second thoughts on a huge Tribe victory.

It may be the end of the season, but some history was made on Sunday as three pitchers for short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley combined for the second no-hitter in franchise history. Luis Gomez, Carlos Melo and Kerry Doane pitched their way into the history books with nine hitless-scoreless innings and racked up 12 strikeouts in the process. The IBI's Arthur Kinney shares his thoughts on that game and all the other performances in the system from Sunday.

Despite Danny Salazar and Justin Verlander matching one another pitch-for-pitch through six innings, neither factored into the game's final decision. Mike Aviles hit a grand slam, the first of his career, off Joaquin Benoit in the ninth as the Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers 4-0 in the finale of a three-game series. Join the IBI's Nathan Kemp as he recaps the Tribe's dramatic win to cap off an otherwise brutal road trip.

After falling behind in the first inning, Carolina was never able to recover and fell to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 9-3 on Sunday night. Carolina has one game left in the regular season, and will play Myrtle Beach in the season finale for both teams on Monday night.

The combination of clutch hits from the offense and brilliant pitching from Josh Tomlin and the bullpen were enough for the Clippers to down the Toledo Mudhens in their penultimate game of the season by a final score of 2-1.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!